TEN Eventing Ireland one-day events have been held since the start of the season, half of them in the Northern Region where the 2019 campaign got under way with the first of four events run under the Lightsource BP banner at Tyrella on Saturday, March 23rd.

There were only three starters in the EI110 class that day but all three finished with Denis Currie getting his season off to an excellent start when completing on his winning dressage score of 23.3 penalties with his 14-year-old Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan gelding, Arodstown Aramis.

A partner in a building and civil engineering company, Currie made his international debut on the bay in last year’s CCI1* at Tattersalls and the combination is due to appear in that class again at the end of this month. Currie withdrew Arodstown Aramis after dressage and show jumping at Tyrella (3) before seeing off two rivals en route to victory at Tyrella (4).

Symone Brown, who won the Connolly’s Red Mills leading amateur prize in the CCI1* class at Tatts last year on Rozel Cool Touch, has again entered the now re-named CCI2*-L competition but this time with Global Merlot.

The Howth, Co Dublin-based Australian and her nine-year-old Lancelot gelding have won and placed second twice in four EI110 (Amateur) starts this season, although professional rider Nicola Ennis was on board the chesnut when he won, on his dressage score, at the same level at Lisgarvan House last month. The EI110 (Amateur) class at the Co Carlow venue that day went to Denis Coakley and his 12-year-old Tayard gelding Prince Louis who were making their seasonal debuts.

WINNING START

Among the other EI110 (Amateur) winners since the commencement of the campaign was James Green who, on his only start to date in 2019, partnered the nine-year-old Inocent gelding Mr Tequila Dancer to victory at Clyda (1) on the last day of March. This combination is due to start in an open EI110 class at Rosanna tomorrow.

There was another male rider at the top of the EI110 (Amateur) leaderboard at the close of play at Tyrella (3) last month when, on his first start at this level and despite a large number of show jumping penalties, victory went to Drogheda’s Gary Monahan riding Blackabbey Boy.

Gary and his 14-year-old Easy Lift gelding used to represent Castle Hill in Riding Club hunter trials, eventing and show jumping. Monahan will be taking on Green – and others – in Section A of the EI110 at Rosanna tomorrow.

Belfast’s Katie Latimer won the EI110 (Amateur) class at Finvoy (1) last month on the 11-year-old skewbald mare Ardnaglass Choco, on whom she has been competing since June 2016 (and will do so today at Glenpatrick), while Davina Gray won at the same level at Crecora (2) earlier this month on Balief Clover.

Co Louth’s Gray and her nine-year-old Boherdeal Clover mare, who too are competing at Rosanna tomorrow, have competed in five international events to date but will be having their first start at their local Tattersalls international at the end of the month.

While there are many riders who have won this year at EI100 Amateur level, the only ones to have scored twice are the Northern Region’s Alexa Grudgings who is two-for-two with Clare Abbott’s 10-year-old Gatsby gelding Kudos, and Cork native Sharon Power who, from four starts, won at Lisgarvan House (1) and Crecora (2), on her six-year-old Da Vinci mare SBS Freelance.

The sole EI90 Amateur double scorer is another Northern Region rider, Ailsa Martin, who achieved this feat at the first and last Tyrella events on Grateful For Gold, a 15-year-old chesnut mare by The Northern Pride.